Four Ways How Writers Evolve | Day 4 WTFOW # 5

In the Oxford English Dictionary, evolution is defined as “the gradual development of something, especially from a simple to a more complex form.” Simply put, it means change. Each change is about learning new things and growing, it is mainly about evolving into something better than what we are today. At each stage of evolution, we are closing one chapter and opening another one. Evolution brings new beginnings and growth.

In this respect, life and writing are much the same. Every day, as writers and as people, we choose to grow and evolve or we choose to remain the same. Writing weaknesses are normal. We all have them. But it’s okay, because each of us is on the same journey, and there is no finish line–no point we reach where we’re “good enough.” Regardless of how adept we become at writing, there will always be room to grow. So, why can we not simply pretend to ignore these flaws and move on? Perhaps, because, in writing, more than anything else, covering up flaws can keep us from success.

This is why, we constantly need to re-assess our writing skills and reinvent our voice, to be able to give a new lease of life to our work. As writers, many of us feel we are still a work in progress, and have a long way to go, and yet, how often have we had that feeling of being stuck in a rut, unable to break free of our limitations? But, despair not, for there are ways to get out of this. We need to believe we are ready to make some key changes to the way we do things, reassess our work and allow our abilities to go beyond our limitations.

So, how do writers evolve?

As writers and bloggers, most often we are not so terrified of change itself, as much as the consequences that change brings. How do we allow ourselves to evolve and explore new writing styles or genres when we’re afraid of the consequences of change? Today, we start by looking at four essential (read fool-proof!) ways of evolving, and what better way to begin, than by reminding ourselves to move away from our comfort zones and face the consequences of the changes. Challenging, alright, but not impossible. The possibilities at the other end of that ‘shift’ is tremendous, and totally worth it.

1. Opening up to learning

This is the hardest and most important ‘mind shift’ that every writer needs to go through, on the path to evolution. We all come into the journey believing our writing is good, special, something that will become great with some polish. The truth is that we all need a lot more than a spit shine. Once we own up to that, we can begin to learn from others. Reconnecting with and reaffirming our personal mission as a writer can help us find the direction that will allow us to embrace change.

2. Getting feedback from others

I find constructive feedback an essential tool for improving my writing. It can be scary to ask writers for honest feedback. You want them to love it and say it’s great, but what you really need is for them to point out the problems. If I don’t spend a long time on a piece, I often overlook small typos or grammatical issues. Having someone read over my writing can highlight these issues and help me to clean up my work. Accepting constructive criticism is a skill I have learnt over the years. I find that by taking emotion out of it, I am able to see that the feedback isn’t personal.

3. Reading widely and experimenting freely

Reading! Well, this is a no-brainer. Finding inspiration through our favourite fiction authors, online articles, e-zines and in ‘how to’ books work great for a start. One interesting way to do this is by pairing up with another writer to read the same book and then discuss it. As we explore new styles or genres, we learn things we never knew and also what might work for us. This is most useful when we are looking to experiment with a variety range of formats and structures as well new content types. New formats may be exciting and scary, but most certainly, worth doing if we want to stretch our writing muscles. Worth a try if you haven’t already done before.

4. Networking

One of the best things about writers is this: they are everywhere!Connecting with other people who love to write certainly helps to build a support system that will help us at every turn. The easiest way to go about it is by searching for writing forums, blogs, facebook groups and twitter hashtags (#writing #writersgroups), where we’ll find writers looking to reach out to others for mutual support and knowledge sharing. If you’re a member of Write Tribe, you already know it’s a great place for novice and seasoned bloggers/writers alike, looking to network, exchange ideas, get help and support at no extra cost. Writing events need not be expensive–one can always look at getting involved in local writing groups and see what events are available for members.

The beautiful thing about writing is that so much of what we need is already available and is free. There are plenty of freebies available that include writing blogs, forums and websites which are troves of useful help and information. Besides, you may also find free writing opportunities ranging from free online conferences to writing/critiquing workshops where you may wish to apply your newly gained knowledge.

Just as there is no single formula for good writing, there isn’t any one absolute way to be a great writer. To each his own. What works best for one, might not work for another. It takes time for a writer to develop his/her voice. Not just budding writers, at times, even seasoned writers face stagnation, when growth is slow and ideas are sparse and one has nothing new or exciting to say. That is the time to take stock of the situation, roll up our sleeves and bring in the much-needed changes to infuse vigour and life back into our writing.

Turning writing weaknesses into strengths is not an overnight job. We must be patient and kind to ourselves even as we keep writing on. The idea is that each step of the way, wemust apply our new-found knowledge to the page. We learn most by doing, so we must always make time to write – One step at a time, but by bit, we will elevate our writing and feel proud at how far we’ve come.

Tell me, what steps have you taken to evolve as a writer? What websites, groups or information sources do you recommend to writers? Where have you relaxed your standards or improved your skills? Are you happy with your progress?

About Esha Mookerjee-Dutta

A lifelong learner is how Esha Mookerjee Dutta describes herself. She enjoys gliding through life in all its craziness and chaos and curating passing thoughts, experiences and memories on the way.
Esha also dons the role of a mother, wife, daughter, teacher, trainer, management consultant, writer and of course, a blogger!

Reader Interactions

Comments

They are all valid points. We’re going through a time when everyone depends on everybody else more especially in the creative world. When one gets a positive comment for a post it helps her to notch up her blog’s popularity. This’s the outcome of positive networking. Also, our interests are varied, so the success depends on finding the network of common interest. Also, if one is serious about getting published, I would suggest, it’s not a bad idea to join a creative writing group of reputation.

Greats points Esha… I loved the idea of teaming with bloggers to read a book and discuss. It’s also a great way to explore different interpretations … I like constructive criticism … I feel the quickest way to improve one’s writing.

Thanks, Raj. Nothing new other than what we already know anyway, but sometimes discussing these brings them to the fore as a reminder! Agree, constructive criticism always helps if given and accepted in the right spirit.

Thanks for a good post. I’m in a couple of writers’ groups that meet to learn from one another, which I love. I’ve also been in several small critique groups that focused on helping members improve particular manuscripts. Although the first few meetings with a new critique group can be uncomfortable, I’m glad I persevered because I learned so much. However, not every group is equal. I’ve been in a couple of good, healthy ones and experienced one that just didn’t work for me. It’s important that each member respect the others, whatever their level of expertise. When I didn’t find it, I gave myself permission to bow out. One of these days, I’ll find another . I never want to stop looking for input from others.

Thanks for sharing some very valuable insights, Dorothy. Personally, I think critique groups are really good if done well. For that matter, even the quality of feedback from fellow writers and bloggers varies greatly and not everyone is willing to go that extra mile to give you an honest one, so it lacks the much-needed depth that can make a difference to the writer. You are right – perseverance does pay. It’s very important to have that openness to question one’s own work and the right approach to learning that allows us to evolve as a writer eventually.

Absolutely agree to each and every point you made there. The simpler we think it is, the harder work it needs. All these four things are indeed essential.
For me, I never stop myself from learning. Be it through reading or talking to others. It’s a continuous process.

Thanks, Parul. Learning and trying to improve is an on-going process and much harder than we can imagine it to be. But, as you say, if we are focused enough, nothing can get in the way of learning, so we can take our writing to the next level.

Esha! It’s exactly what I need and it’s important to accept constructive criticism to reinvent and improve the self. I always need someone to push me to the edge and something my mentor has done for I am a journalist by accident. If a writer feels he or she has achieved everything, then writing is not for them! So much to learn from this post, Esha.

Glad you found this useful, Vishal. I guess we all need to give ourselves that much-needed push from time to time, to question our work and assess how we can improve our weak areas. Accepting our imperfections and then, overcoming them might be the best way to take our learning forward, don’t you think?

Change and getting out of our comfort zone is essential for life as well as blogging. I really value being a life learner as I grow older. Once we know better, we do better.
I, fortunately, have a nice specific blogger friend that is also an English teacher, so she is of great value when it comes to my grammar.

I completely agree with you, Erica. Learning never stops and that also makes our work tougher because now we must continue to make those necessary changes as we evolve in order to keep up with our goals as a writer or an individual. You’re lucky to have such a friend btw 🙂

I feel I’ve evolved from just sharing thoughts to a writer who assumes the role of teacher over the past 3 years of blogging. It will be interesting to see how my writing and perspective of myself as a writer evolve over the next three years.

Absolutely, Tina. It is very important to stay grounded when we’re trying to depend on the honest feedback from others. That’s the only way to see our work objectively and decide the problem areas that need to be worked upon.

Very rightly said learning is on going process. Actually reading, writing and learning are cyclic process, if one step is complete then other has to start for betterment of next. Liked the way you put forward your views Esha!

Appreciate you for this honesty, Alana. And since you are so well aware of it yourself, this might just mean you are best placed to challenge yourself and go past the limitations. If I were you, I’d try and see if it works. 🙂

Very valid pointers Esha. These are all issues that we need to absorb as a part of regular blogging. I try a lot of experimentation with different genres, challenging myself. I also think feedback from fellow bloggers, family, friends is very essential for a different perspective towards one’s writings. And of course, the more you read, the better your exposure. Great tips Esha!

I’ve been reading more, but haven’t really been experimenting. I feel my progress is pretty slow, there is so much more to do. I’ve signed up in two websites for writing help but haven’t been regular in it. Need to get on track, thanks for sharing these tips and reminding us to get moving.

You may find it useful to set small achievable goals in your chosen areas and work towards that, Dashy. There is plenty of information available but they are no good if we do not apply them to our work. Also, not everyone is suited to every kind of writing or genre. I think developing our style and our voice is something that happens over time. There’s never a better time than now to effect those changes, set up a plan and work towards it.

Yes, one needs to evolve to keep oneself motivated and to keep others engaged. The post nails the topic effectively. I personally am trying to work on the fourth point i.e networking. Being an introvert makes it tough but am aware that it is indeed a part of writing.

Absolutely, Ira. Networking is a must to take our blog/writing to the next level. There are plenty of bloggers meets and networking opportunities that are coming up these days to encourage people to network more proactively and effectively. The benefits from doing that is nothing short of exponential!

Awareness and readiness to make the necessary changes are absolutely essential stepping stones towards achieving your goals as a writer. Glad you found these pointers useful. Now, all you need to do is to apply them and see how they work to your advantage.

Dear Esha, wonderful advice to all writers/bloggers and anyone who follows a creative path. Evolution is the key to success and luckily we can all keep on learning. I’ve been reading a lot and networking actively particularly with other bloggers from Write Tribe. I listen to podcasts by Darren Rowse and get emails from Jon Morrow. I think I’ve improved my blog content and sharpened the copy. I am fairly happy with my progress but would like more feed back and help with back end stuff like making text boxes, choosing the correct plugins.

Thank you Sunita. Learning is an on-going process for us bloggers as we straddle between different genres and try things out to see how and where we are going. I’m glad to know you’ve been doing this very proactively. Feedback, if given properly, is a very effective learning tool for writers, but often overlooked, because getting it from the right sources can be a challenge at times.